The Labyrinth: Another Tale
by Neko-chan -Silvered Tongue
Summary: As one story ends, another begins. A lonely girl, new to a foreign country, accidently wishes her two younger sisters away. But there is one thing that the King of the Goblins didn't count on: she a descendant of the Tuatha de Danaan. What will happen
1. Another Tale Begins

**The Labyrinth: Another Tale**

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth, but the original characters I DO mention are mine. Enjoy!

  
  


The Labyrinth: Another Tale

By: Neko-chan

  
  


I

  
  


"Imagination is more important than knowlege." -Albert Einstein

~*~

  
  


A tall girl with thigh-length red-orange hair sat in the embracing arms of a large willow tree. Water dripped freely from her hair onto her jeans; soaking them and making them cling to her legs.

She leaned back, her back to the rough bark. She sighed, and opened her eyes; revealing them to be the color of the rain clouds gathering above.

She shivered a little as more rain drops landed on her. Then, noticing how late it was, she quickly glanced down at her watch.

And started in horror when she saw that it was 8:00. _Oh, no!_ she moaned to herself. _ I_ _was supposed to home half an hour ago!_

She quickly jumped down from her perch, running as fast as she could through the huge park. She passed quaint shops on her run through the small English village; though, since she was running late, she wasn't able to get a closer look at them.

She was new to this foreign country; in fact, she and her family had moved to England just two weeks before.

_I miss California_, she thought as she put on an extra burst of speed, almost at home._ I miss my friends, my home, my old** life**...._

Finally, after about 10 minutes of running, the tall girl reached her house and ran up the walk way. She hopped the steps; and panting, she reached for the doorknob.

And was startled when the door opened on its own, revealing a very angry mother and father.

_Oh, crap...._, she thought, bracing herself for what she _knew_ was coming.

"Where the _hell_ have you been?!" the mother exclaimed, her sapphire eyes blazing as she shoved her midnight black hair away from her delicate face.

The girl winced, but knew the worst was yet to come.

"Bryanna," her father began, his blue eyes filled with disappointment, "I thought that we could trust you, that you'd be _responsible_, now that we've left our old home."

Bryanna looked down and away from those searching blue eyes, her own gray eyes cold and emotionless. "I know, and I'm sorry," she said, sighing.

Her mother glared at her. "No TV or computer for a week; and on Saturday, you have to pull weeds-all day long." Then she stomped by her daughter, heading for the family's new van.

As Bryanna's father stepped by her, he uttered not a single word. He just gave her a look of utmost pity; then, he, too, was gone.

Bryanna stood on her steps, watching her parents drive down the street. They were heading towards a dinner party-much as they did every night.

When they were out of view, Bryanna heaved a great sigh and turned around, heading back into her house. Her almost-dry red-orange hair swirled around her, like a fiery cloud. When Bryanna had turned around to go back into the house, she found her way blocked by her two worst nightmares--her two little sisters.

Anatasia and Celadry.


	2. A Careless Wish

The Labyrinth: Another Tale

  
  


II

  
  


"If we shadows have offended/Think but this/and all is mended/That you have but slumbered here/While these visions did appear."--Puck; 5.1.419-422; A Midsummer's Night Dream

  
  


~*~

"We're hungry. Go make us dinner," Celadry demanded, looking at her sister disdainfully. "We want lasagna."

"Now!" Anatasia added, glaring darkly at her older sister.

Bryanna sighed, then walked into her house, dodging her two younger sisters. "Okay," she murmured. "Just let me change clothes..."

  
  


Bryanna quickly ran up the stairs and changed into a new set of clothes. She still wore her silver dangling Celtic knot earrings (that meant eternity) in her bottom set of holes, and in the second set, was her favorite pair of black opal earrings.

She wore two necklaces: a leather thong with a shark's tooth attached to it, and another leather thong--this time, it was a choker, and a silver Egyptian ankh dangled down from it. She wore her chunky purple watch, and two purple and green jade bracelets. The only ring she wore was another silver Celtic knot design--only this time, it meant 'love.'

Bryanna decided to wear her favorite pair of short cargo jean shorts, and a forest green tank top that brought attention to her long red-orange hair.

Before she left, Bryanna stood in front of her mirror and pulled her hair away from her face, debating on whether or not to wear it up in a ponytail. Seeing her pointed ears, she grimaced and dropped her hair, allowing her ears to be covered by her thick mane.

As she slipped into her dark blue Vans with dragon symbols, a memory came to her:

_**A little girl, no more than three or four, sat on a bench in a playground, alone. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, revealing her unusual pointed ears. Lonely, she watched her classmates play ball._

_After many more minutes, she grew sick of being lonely. She stood up and walked over to the large group._

_"Can I play?" she asked softly._

_"Why would we want **you** to play?"_

_"Yeah, Ugly-Wannabe-Fairy!"_

_Soon, the children took up the chant: "Ugly Fairy! Ugly Fairy! Ugly Fairy!"_

_"Go away! We don't wanna play with **you**!!"_

_"Yeah! My mommy called you a 'freak!' We dun wanna play with 'freaks!'"**_

__Bryanna shook her head lightly, clearing the memory away from her mind.

After that day, Bryanna had always worn her hair down, to hide her unusual ears.

_I just wish I could hide my eyes just as easily_,she thought sourly as she grabbed a scrunchie to put on her wrist--just in case.

Just like her ears, Bryanna's eyes were equally unique. They were slanted, tilting up at the corners. With her delicate, aristocratic eyebrows, she truly looked different.

'You look just like one of the Fae--an elf, or maybe an Irish fairy princess,' her best friend, Aimee, used to always say.

But, now.....Aimee lived a million miles away. Bryanna sighed, and walked into the kitchen, ready for another night of hell.

  
  


Two hours, and many messes later, Anatasia and Celadry were finally done with their lasagna--after completely destroying the kitchen.

Again, Bryanna sighed, on the verge of tears, as she stoically began to clean up the mess.

Once she was done, she stood up, ready to go to her room, shut the door, and read to her heart's content. But...she found her way blocked by two demons, more commonly known as her two younger sisters.

"We want a story before we go to bed," Anatasia said, crossing her arms and glaring at her sister.

"No,"was Bryanna's flat reply. "I'm tired and I want to be left alone."

This time, Celadry piped up. "No, Bry-Bry,"she said, using Bryanna's hated nickname, "you'll read us a story, or we'll tell mommy and daddy that you were being a bitch."

Bryanna stared at the fourth-grader in shock. "Wh-What did you call me?"

"A bitch,"was the calm reply.

Bryanna stared at the girl, thinking for several moments. She didn't want to deal with her parents, not after dealing with what happened earlier tonight. Soooo......the only thing to do ws to do what Anatasia and Celadry wanted.

She nodded her consent and followed her sisters upstairs, to their room.

The two young girls quickly changed into their night clothes, and hopped into bed. They stared at their sister expectantly as she stared back. Finally...

"Long, long ago......there lived a king, a Goblin King, who loved a girl."

----listen!thestory,it'sthestory!---- the goblins hissed.

"But she was naive, and did not know of his love. One night, frustrated, she spoke carelessly. She wished her baby brother away."

----how?howdoessheknowofthestory?----

"In order to get him back, she was forced to take a test. She had to solve the Goblin King's Labyrinth. She....she faced hardships unnumbered....and she--she fought her way to the castle, beyond the Goblin City."

----sheknows!howdoessheknow?HEwillnotbepleased!----

"She confronted the King, wanting her little brother back. And in one moment...she spurned him, and his love....And the Goblin King was left all alone," Bryanna finished, her gray eyes eerily glowing silver. But she blinked, and it was gone.

Bryanna looked down at her sisters and stared. They were scowling at her.

"Dun like that story!" Celadry exclaimed.

"It sucked!" Anatasia, Bryanna's sixth-grader sister, added.

Bryanna sighed and stood up, walking over to their light-switch. "I wish the story _was_ true,"she said bitterly.__

_----_QUIET!sheisgoingtosaythewords!listen!----

"I wish the goblins would come and take you away--right now,"she said as she turned off the light. Bryanna started to walk away, but before she got far, she noticed something.

Silence. Absolute silence.

Bryanna slowly stopped and turned around, her gray eyes wide. _ No_, she thought with dread. _No, it isn't possible...._

__She quickly walked back to Anatasia and Celadry's room. When she got there, she tried to flick the light switch on. But...the light wouldn't come on.

"Oh, no...." Bryanna whispered, the dread now solidifying to a lump in her stomach.__


	3. Cruelty--Jareth, the Goblin King

The Labyrinth: Another Tale

  
  


III

  
  


"I seem'd to move among a world of ghosts,

And feel myself the shadows of a dream."

--Alfred, Lord Tennyson

  
  


~*~

  
  


Bryanna stepped deeper into the dark and silent room, knowing what was going to happen, yet also knowing that she would have to face the danger.

A hoarse giggle came from the bed, and Bryanna dropped into a karate stance-all of her years studying Kenpo finally paying off.

Another evil laugh came from her sisters' bookself, and Bryanna directed her attention there.

"I know you're there!"she shouted. "Why don't you reveal yourselves?!"

----waitandsee,waitandsee,waitandsee-- an evil sing-song voice said, coming from a corner of the room. Soon, the other goblins joined it, making it into a taunting song.

Bryanna listened to them, and when they were distracted by their song, she quickly took her scrunchie off of her wrist and pulled her hair away, leaving her face free.

Silence. Not one goblin said anything, but Bryanna could feel their eyes on her. She took a deep breath, calming herself, unnerved by the silence and the stares. Then...

----look!lookatherears!----

----she'sdifferentfromtheothers----

----she'sFae,hermagicisstrong----

----doesHEknowaboutthis?----

----shutup!shutup!HEwillnotbepleased!----

As the goblins were immersed in their argument, Bryanna noticed that the room had suddenly gotten colder. When the goblins realized this, all abruptly fell silent. Suddenly, without warning, the windows to her sisters' bedroom blew open, and in flew a snowy white barn owl.

"Jareth, the Goblin King...." Bryanna whispered when the owl landed and turned into a man. He was taller than she, with long blonde hair. His face was exotic...cruel. He wore knee high black leather boots, black tights, and an open collared black pirate's shirt. His cloak was stunning, flowing to the ground around him. It, like the rest of his clothing, was black; and it was lined with little black gems-onyx, probably.

"Ah....sweet, sweet Bryanna," Jareth purred as he stepped closer. "Having a rough nigh, are we not?"

Ignoring his question, Bryanna looked up and into his eyes. Inwardly, Jareth frowned. _How can she look into my eyes as she is doing? Usually, I can control people who just barely **glance **at me in the eyes; she in staring at me fully. Why isn't my magic working?_

"I want...I want my sisters back," Bryanna demanded firmly, her eyes narrowing in determination.

"You said the words, Bryanna; you cannot take them back," Jareth said, in reply to her demand.

Bryanna's eyes narrowed further, until they became slits of silver. "Normally," she began, "I would say something like, 'But I didn't know it was true! I didn't know that _those_ were the words!', or 'But it isn't fair!'" Seeing Jareth's mouth open, about to say something, she raised her hand and cut him off immediately. "But I know how you'll reply: 'Well then, Bryanna, you should be more careful about what you say,' or 'Life isn't fair'. I know that both of these are correct; but still, I want my sisters back."

Jareth stood there for a minute, startled by her frankness. Then, recovering, he was back to his suave self. "Ah, but Bryanna. wouldn't you rather have my gift, than to go and look for your sisters?" he asked as he held out a flawless crystal ball. "Wouldn't you rather have your _dreams_?"

Hesitantly, Bryanna reached out and slowly cupped the crystal ball in her palms. Without warning, she threw it to the floor, where it shattered into a million pieces.

"Dreams....dreams are what give this world magic, Jareth,"Bryanna said. "But, sometimes, you have to come to terms with what's happening in reality. I may want my dreams, but I don't _need_ them. I _need_ my sisters, Anatasia and Celadry." She looked into Jareth's eyes, and he saw bitter sadness when she said that; and then.....her eyes were emotionless, empty. She was distancing herself away form the pain and sadness. "Now," she continued, "take me to the Underground--to your Labyrinth. I need to get my sisters back."

Looking amused, Jareth said, "As you wish, Bryanna...but you _will_ regret your decision..."

With a mere tendril of thought, he transported them to the Underground--to the entrance to the Labyrinth.


	4. Wicked Illusions

The Labyrinth: Another Tale

  
  


IV

  
  


"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

--Puck; 3.2.115; Midsummer's Night Dream

  
  


~*~

  
  


Bryanna gasped and looked around, staring in amazement at the maze before her; and the castle beyond that.

"You have 13 hours," Jareth said, gesturing to the clock with 13 numbers on it. "If you do not manage to get to the castle before the time runs out, your sisters will be one of us.... forever. Such a pity....."

And then he faded away, like a bad dream, or an insubstantial ghost.

Bryanna sighed, and walked up to the entrance doors. She pushed against the ivy-covered doors, trying to make them open. But they remained shut, not budging an inch. Bryanna pushed harder; and still, they wouldn't open.

She stepped back and scowled at the huge set of doors. As she scowled, Jareth's mocking laughter filled the air, surrounding her.

"Open up!" she demanded, glaring at the entrance darkly.

Then, to her surprise, the door opened up with a loud 'creak!'

Bryanna blinked several times, then walked into the Labyrinth cautiously. "Thank you!" she called as she started down the right pathway. The entrance's doors wiggled in response, then slammed shut.

She walked down the pathway for about half an hour, then stopped when she sensed something. She stared at the wall across from her. It seemed.....empty....not like the walls on either side of her. _They_ seemed solid.

She stepped closer, hands extended, expecting to encounter rough brick. To her surprise, Bryanna stepped through an opening.

_An illusion!_ she thought._ Stupid Jareth and his tricks....._

Glaring darkly, she looked to her right and then to her left. _Hmmmm....which way do I go?_

Aloud, she said, "Well.....left is right, and right is wrong....." That decided, she took off down the left passageway.

  
  


-*-*-*--

  
  


Jareth sat in his throne room, one leg draped across his throne. He stared into his crystal ball, his dark eyes thoughtful.

----sheissmarterthantheothers----

Jareth silenced the goblin with a look.

----sheisdifferent---- another goblin hissed.

----sheisFae!----

Annoyed at what they were saying, Jareth looked at them and raised an eyebrow. They silenced immediately, knowing that he was at his patience's end.

_Little Fae_, he thought, again returning his gaze to the crystal ball. _Come to my castle, little girl-child of the Fae. Come to **me**, little one...._

  
  


-*-*-*--

  
  


Bryanna stood at the edge of a huge desert, staring in shock at the white sand. The desert seemed to stretch on forever, and she couldn't see the opposite side to it. Just sand dunes....lots and lots of sand dunes....

"And how am I supposed to get across _this_?" she asked herself, glaring at the endless amount of dunes before her.

Shrugging, she started to walk.

  
  


An hour later.....

  
  


"Ughhhh...." Bryanna groaned blearily. "This is cruel and unusual punishment!"

She groaned again and stumbled over one of the many huge sand dunes that lay before her.

"Jareth," she said hoarsely, "when I get a hold of you.....you're dead!"

The only reply she got was a hard, rough wind blowing around her.

  
  


-*-*-*--

  
  


Anatasia and Celadry held each other close, looking wide-eyed at Jareth. He smiled, enjoying their fear.

This made Anatasia and Celadry whimper, and they started to edge ever further away from him.

Jareth leaned forward, taking his leg off of his arm rest on his throne. He put his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in his hands.

"What shall I make you two into?" he asked the two frightened girls. He smiled cruelly when they backed further away. Looking at Anatasia, he said, "Hmmmm...something earthy, but not a wood sprite. How about an elf?" Then he looked at Celadry, amusement making his dark eyes dance. "For you, it's a tie between a selkie or a mermaid......I think I'll go with the selkie."

As the two young girls stared at Jareth, their fear slowly turned to terror. As one, they screamed: "BRYANNA!!! HELP US!!"

  
  


-*-*-*--

  
  


Bryanna stopped, certain that she had just heard her name. She stood still for a minute, waiting for another shout. But it didn't come again.

Shrugging, she continued on her way. She saw many more sand dunes on her journey; and after about two hours, she slowly began to notice that the terrain around her was beginning to get rocky. 

Finally, she was almost out of the desert. Right before her was the continuation of the maze. The sand and rock abruptly ended, dirt began. And after about three meters, the maze, made up of trees, began. Bryanna was about to go into the forest/maze, but then she heard a whimper.

She stopped, and looked around, searching for the creature that had cried out. After several minutes of searching, she discovered a cave--the whimpering was coming from there. She went deeper into the cave, and the sight that she saw broke her heart. A mother dragon lay on her side, killed by some vicious predator. Her neck was torn open, her red blood crimson on the floor.

Next to her lay her child, still alive. The baby dragon was the source of the crying. It was small, about the size of her cat, Warlock. The dragon was blood red, with a gold sheen. When Bryanna had come in, the baby dragon had looked up at her, startled; and she saw that it's eyes were gold.

It chirped at her, and a question formed in Bryanna's mind: **_Who are you? Are you my new momma?_**__

Realizing that the baby would die without her, Bryanna came to a quick decision. She went down onto one knee and held her arms out. The baby dragon gave a happy shout and leapt into her arms.

_I'll name you....Heart'sAflame_, Bryanna thought to the little dragon. _Heart, for short._

Heart looked up at her happily, chirping, **_Mommy!_**

Bryanna smiled, then stood up, carrying Heart in her arms. Then, together, they walked towards the maze.


	5. Riddle Me This

The Labyrinth: Another Tale

  
  


V

  
  


"Fool! All that is, at all,

Lasts ever, past recall;

Earth changes, but they soul and God stand sure;

What entered into thee,

That was, is, and shall be:

Time's wheel runs back or stops;

Potter and clay endure."

--Robert Browning

  
  


~*~

  
  


Bryanna and Heart walked through the huge Labyrinth, searching for the way to the castle. As they walked closer to the center, the two companions could sense the air growing darker.....filled with evil.

Finally, they came to two doors. And between the two doors, on the wall, there lay an inscription:

**_Wandering warrior; from far, far away,_**

**_you've traveled long, but now you've come to play._**

**_Feed the fire,_**

**_and protect the flame,_**

**_this we ask in Pyro's name._**

**_What seems to be, is not always true,_**

**_listen to what we say to you._**

**_The danger is near,_**

**_but do not fear;_**

**_for there is love lurking in the shadows._**

**_You turn away, and you see me;_**

**_I turn away, and I see you;_**

**_but am I really what I seem to be?_**__

  
  


Bryanna sighed, annoyed at being confronted with yet another riddle. But, like what she did with the others, she repeated it until the new riddle was committed to her memory.

Once she was sure she had the riddle memorized, she stepped back. Both Bryanna and Heart looked at the two doors, trying to think of which door to pick. But, remembering what had happened at the Labyrinth's entrance, she closed her eyes and let the words come to her.

"Open up, ye mighty door. Show me the pathway to the castle, beyond the Goblin City. I have seen what is unseen, and I see the pathway."

Bryanna opened her eyes. The wall, which had the inscription on it, was gone. Instead, there was a huge black opening that led to a dark and dangerous forest.

She looked down at Heart and smiled. "Well, I guess that _something_ the inscription said was true. But I hate all of these stupid illusions!!"

Heart chirped questionably, and Bryanna smiled down at her. "C'mon, little one. Let's go and find my sisters; then we can go and kick Jareth's butt."

Heart chirped happily and they walked through the door. Soon, they stood in a mist-shrouded dark forest. Heart looked around anxiously as Bryanna walked deeper into the forest. Each time a twig cracked, the small dragon would jump in Bryanna's arms. She would look in the direction of the sound, and her eyes would glow strangely.

After a while, they came to a fork in the road. Both Bryanna and Heart looked back and forth between the two pathways, trying to decide which pathway to take.

Suddenly, without warning, a Sphinx stepped out from the trees. The body was that of a supple lioness, and she had beautiful golden eagle's wings. Her face resembled that of an ancient Egyptian, and her long black hair swirled around her.

"If you can solve my riddle," the Sphinx began, "I will tell you which pathway leads to the castle. The other pathway, however, leads to the Bog of Eternal Stench."

Bryanna nodded her consent, willing to try the riddle.

"What creature crawls on all fours in the morning, walks on two legs at noon, and uses three legs at night?"

Bryanna looked down at Heart, puzzled. _What......what kind of creature does this?_ she thought to herself.

She closed her eyes, thinking fast, knowing that her time was running out. Finally, right before her time was to run out, an old, old memory came to her:

**_** "My little one, do you want to hear a riddle?" a soft, melodious man's voice asked._**

**_"Yes!" the child replied, looking up at the man with adoration in her big gray eyes. "I wanna hear one!"_**

**_"What crawls on all fours in the morning, uses two legs at midday, and three legs at night?"_**

**_The little girl giggled. "I dun know!"she said, pushing red-orange hair out of her face._**

**_The man looked down at her, his gem-bright green eyes oddly compelling. "The answer to the riddle is man; who crawls on all fours as a baby, uses two legs as a young man, and walks with a cane in old age."_**

**_The little girl giggled again, then crawled into his arms, stroking his midnight black hair, and tracing his strangely pointed ears, so much like her own. "Daddy, you're so silly!" she exclaimed as she kissed his cheek._**

**_Oberon, King of the Fae, smiled down at his only child, Bryanna, Princess of the Tuatha De Danaan. **_**__

  
  


Bryanna gasped and opened her eyes. _What is happening to me?_ she thought wildly.

"Your time is up; what is your answer?" the Sphinx asked, interrupting her confused thoughts.

Without thinking, Bryanna blurted out: "The answer to your riddle is man."

The Sphinx hissed in anger and stepped away from the right path. "You may go," she said grudgingly.

Heart and Bryanna quickly exchanged a startled glance; then Bryanna set off down the right pathway, Heart still cradled in her arms.

  
  


As the two females walked into the forest, Bryanna became more and more distracted by her wandering thoughts.

_What is happening to me? **Why** is this happening to me? Some of these memories cannot be true.....I cannot possibly have **two** fathers! Yet.....that man seems so familiar, and he looked so much like me.....And I felt closer to him than I do to my father...._

A possibility came to her then, and she gasped, shocked. _Could it be that the other man, the man that's been coming to me in my memories, actually **is** my real father?? _With this thought, there came a feeling of rightness; and Bryanna knew it was true.

_Does this mean that I'm actually one of the Fae? _Bryanna shook her head at this, disgusted at herself for such a thought.

Suddenly, Heart's claws tightened on her arm, hard enough to draw blood. Bryanna gave a hiss of pain, and looked up, jolted out of her thoughts.

And she looked into a pair of gem-bright green eyes.

  
  


-*-*-*--

  
  


Jareth smirked as he looked into his crystal ball, watching Oberon greet his daughter after so many years. Suddenly, the crystal went dark, and Jareth couldn't see anything at all.

"Looks like Daddy-dearest wants some time alone with his little princess," he murmured, grinning sadistically.

He stretched out further, until he was comfortably draped on his throne.

_Well, no matter_, Jareth thought to himself, frowning thoughtfully. _He's in** my** realm now, and he must obey **my** rules. Nothing will keep me from my revenge. **Nothing.**_

  
  


After Sarah had rejected him, Jareth had gone further into himself; nursing his pain and hurt and rejection. He longed to make someone hurt as much as he hurt. But for several years, no one had uttered **_the _**__words, the words that would wish people away to his kingdom. Until now. Now the little Fae princess had uttered those special words, and now he could make someone hurt as much as he.

  
  


_She will regret defying me, as Sarah did._

  
  


-*-*-*--

  
  


"D-Daddy?" Bryanna asked, her lower lip trembling as she stared at the young man in front of her.

"Hello again, little one,"he said, smiling gently and holding out his arms.

When Oberon said that, a flood of memories came to Bryanna, and she remembered. **_Everything._**__

  
  


She was truly a fairy princess, as Aimee had always said. But when she had been born, King Oberon and Queen Titania decided to send her Aboveground, so that way she could be able to understand humans and become friends with them.

  
  


Instead of running joyously into her father's arms, as he expected her to, she stepped away from him and glared darkly. "You stopped visiting."

"You stopped believing," he answered. "Your mother and I couldn't visit you as long as you didn't believe in us."

Hearing this, Bryanna ran into his arms, hugging him tightly, as she did when she had been younger. "I'm sorry I stopped believing," she whispered.

"It's alright, my daughter," he replied. "Now listen, and listen well. While I am in the Goblin King's realm, I must obey _his_ rules. He would only let either your mother or I come. Your mother, Titania, let me come to you. After this is all over, you will be able to chose where you want to live, now that you are sixteen. But you can still visit other realms. Remember this, my brave little one: Your magic is strong, though untrained. As strong as the Gobl--" and with that, he disappeared, sent away by the Goblin King.

Bryanna stood in shock, staring at where her father had stood just seconds before.

"Damn you, Jareth!!"


	6. Love's Heart Stands True

The Labyrinth: Another Tale

  
  


VI

  
  


"Cold in the dust this perished heart may lie,

But that which warmed it once shall never die!

That spark unburied in its mortal frame,

With living light, eternal, and the same."

--Thomas Campbell

  
  


~*~

  
  


Jareth sat, reclining, in his throne, watching his goblins tease Anatasia and Celadry. By now, the two girls had gotten used to their presence, and they would tease them back. But still...they were terrified of _him._

_Nothing like their older sister_, Jareth thought to himself. Now, _she_ actually had the nerve to stand up to him. Sarah and these two girls were like all the others, cowering and shivering before him.

He leaned back and continued to watch their antics, an amused smile on his face.

Until a goblin came up to him.

----sire,sheishere;sheisatthecity'sgates----

"Oh, come, come now!" Jareth replied. "She still has eight hours left!_ No one_ has ever been able to solve the Labyrinth in just five hours."

----shehas---- the goblin replied, shrugging.

Jareth's eyes narrowed and he summoned one of his crystal balls. He stared into it, and slowly his eyes began to widen. The goblin had been telling the truth.

"Hide the children!" he roared, jumping out of his throne. "Delay her! Stop her from reaching the castle!"

And, with that, the goblins scurried away, desperate to obey his orders.

  
  


-*-*-*--

  
  


Bryanna walked through the Goblin City, searching for traps. But no one tried to stop her as she made her way deeper and deeper into the city. And this made Bryanna even more suspicious.

Finally, without warning, the goblins attacked. Bryanna had been read for this, though. She raised up her arms and yelled, "I command you to freeze!"

And the goblins froze. But just because she had frozen them, didn't mean that the couldn't talk. And talk they did, yelling insults at her as she passed them. Bryanna ignored this, and continued on her way to the castle.

After several minutes of walking, she and Heart finally made it to the castle. And then they began their search, room by room, looking for Bryanna's two younger sisters.

They were about to pass a set of huge doors, gilded with gold, after searching the throne room. But something made Bryanna stop. Heart looked up at her, a questioning look of her small draconic face.

"They're in there," Bryanna whispered. The two companions walked closer, and the golden doors opened automatically for them.

"Bryanna!" a haunting echo came from within.

Hearing this, Bryanna stepped deeper into the room and gasped. The room wasn't a room at all. It was a forest. And her sisters were somewhere in _there_....

"Let's split up. Maybe then we can find Anatasia and Celadry more easily," Bryanna told the little dragon, looking down. Heart chirped in response and jumped out of Bryanna's arms, heading off in a direction.

Bryanna watched the baby dragon go, smiling fondly. The she, too, set off in another direction. And was confronted by Jareth.

"My, my, my....Hello again, little Fae."

Bryanna ignored him and continued her search.

_Where could he have possibly hidden them? _she asked herself. Then, a part of a rhyme came to her:

**_**Wandering warrior; from far, far away,_**

**_ you've traveled long, but now you've come to play.**_**__

Bryanna frowned in concentration. _What does this mean?? Wait.....what do people play? Games! This is a game!_

"But exactly what type of game?" she asked herself thoughtfully. _Wait! I know! Hide-and-seek! And in hide-and-seek, people hide in the most oblivious places! And that means.....at the center!_

With that, she headed off towards the center of the forest, knowing that was where Jareth had hidden her sisters.

  
  


Jareth watched Bryanna walk off to the center, smiling in amusement. The shadows from the trees painted his face in both light and dark shades, unknowingly showing his two natures.

_Looks like she figured it out, _he thought. _And she'll be leaving soon._

For some reason, this made Jareth's heart ache.

  
  


* * *

  
  


After only about five minutes, Bryanna made her way to the center of the forest, which was made up of a meadow. In the meadow there was a huge stone formation that looked identical to Stonehenge, except newly built. And in the middle of that, Anatasia and Celadry sat, holding each other tightly.

"Anatasia! Celadry!" Bryanna called as she started to run towards her two younger sisters.

Hearing their names, the two girls looked up. Their faces broke into smiles of happiness when they saw their older sister run towards them.

And the Jareth materialized in front of the two girls, stopping their sister's run.

"You've won," he said, his eyes full of bitterness and sadness. "All you have to do now is say the words. 'You have no power over me'."

Bryanna looked at him thoughtfully and stepped closer. "It hurts, doesn't it?" she asked.

"What does?" Jareth replied, answering a question with a question. He looked down, away from her searching gray eyes.

Bryanna stepped even closer and put a warm hand over his heart. "This," she replied. "Having your love rejected, always. No one loving you, even after you've professed your own love to them. Jareth.....I'm not going to say the words. I won't hurt you again. I won't make you feel this pain again."

And, once she said that, the inscription suddenly made sense.

**_**Wandering warrior; from far, far away,_**

**_ you've traveled long, but now you've come to play.**_**__

The whole entire Labyrinth was a game--a game of solving a maze, figuring out riddles, finding illusions, and playing a desperate game of hide-and-seek.

**_**Feed the fire,_**

**_ and protect the flame,_**

**_ this we ask in Pyro's name.**_**__

Jareth's love is only a flame, and he needs someone to protect it, to feed it with their own love.

**_**What seems to be, is not always true,_**

**_ listen to what we say to you.**_**

The Labyrinth is full of illusions, and things aren't always what they appear to be.

**_**The danger is near,_**

**_ but do not fear;_**

**_ for there is love lurking in shadows.**_**__

There are dangerous things in the Labyrinth, but beyond it all.......there is love.

**_**You turn around, and you see me;_**

**_ I turn around, and I see you;_**

**_ but am I really what I seem to be?**_**__

We.......we are the same. We are both different than what we appear to be....

And with this final revelation, Bryanna looked at the Goblin King and quietly said: "I love you."

Jareth looked at Bryanna in shock, then he quickly looked away. "You cannot possibly love a monster such as I," he replied.

"I can, and I do!" she exclaimed, glaring at Jareth darkly.

Jareth looked up, startled by her vehemence. When he saw her exotic fairy eyes glaring at him because he wouldn't believe her, he began to rethink his conclusions._ She couldn't possibly love me......could she?_ When he saw that she wasn't about to take back her words, Jareth began to laugh, happiness making his laughter light and joyous.

He picked her up, swinging her around. Putting her down after a little while, he said, "I love you, too." And then he kissed her deeply.

When they pulled apart, Bryanna looked over to her sisters, and saw that they were staring at her in open shock. Giving Jareth a quick kiss, she walked over to them. Bryanna knelt down, so that they were eye-to-eye.

"I'm staying. Here, in the Underground. I belong here; this is my home. Both of you belong Aboveground--that is your home. Good-bye," she said and softly kissed their foreheads. Slowly, they faded away, returning Aboveground.

Bryanna stood up, and turned around. Grinning at the sight before her, she started to walk towards Jareth, Heart held snugly in his arms.

**_I found Daddy! _**Heart chirped at her.

"Shall we go tell your parents the good news?" Jareth asked, one arm around her waist.

"Yes, lets," Bryanna replied, smiling up at him.

And, with that, they faded away; heading towards the Fae realm.


	7. Bittersweet Good-byes

The Labyrinth: Another Tale

  
  


VII

  
  


"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come....."

--William Wordsworth

  
  


~*~

  
  


Bryanna, Princess of the Tuatha De Danaan, and Queen of the Goblins, stood at the edge of the huge platform in the Escher room, staring into a clear crystal ball that she was threading between her hands. She watched her sisters for several more minutes. Then, she dropped the crystal, letting it shatter on the floor below.

"Good-bye,"she whispered before the crystal ball could crash to the floor. "Tha mo chridhe maille ruibh."

She hooked a strand of red-orange hair behind a pointed ear, and turned around. Jareth, with Heart'sAflame tucked snugly in his arms, waited for her. Bryanna smiled happily at him, and walked towards him; ready to start her new life.

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tha mo chridhe maille ruibhe: Gaelic; My heart is with you.

  
  


A/N: I hope that everyone who read this story enjoyed it! I just wanted to state one more time: I do not own Labyrinth. 

And, if prompted by enough reviews, I may be inspired to write a sequel......*grins innocently*


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